Category: Latest News

Maryland young riders Ryan Keefe (Sandy Spring) and Tayler Stewart (Damascus) competed at The Event at Rebecca Farm in Kalispell, Montana, during the Adequan FEI North American Youth Championships, July 18-22. The pair of Maryland natives were part of the winning Area II CICOY2* team alongside Alexa Lapp and Olivia Dutton of Pennsylvania. Ryan rode Flintstar, an 18-year-old Thoroughbred gelding owned by her mother, Rumsey. Ryan and Flintstar have been consistently placing in the top 10 at various events up and down the east coast. This spring, the pair placed second at the Fair Hill International. On dressage day,...

On July 9, the Maryland Horse Breeders Association announced the election of three new members of the board of directors. Michael J. Harrison, DVM, was elected president; David H. Wade was elected vice president; and Kent Allen Murray was elected secretary and treasurer. Dr. Harrison owns Willowdale Farm in Butler and has been a practicing veterinarian for more than 35 years. Harrison earned a doctor of veterinary medicine degree from the University of Florida and a bachelor’s degree from Washington College. He breeds, races and owns Thoroughbreds and served on the MHBA board from 2009-2016. He has also served as chairman of MHBA’s Legislative Committee. Harrison is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Association of Equine Practitioners, Society for Theriogenology, Maryland Agricultural Resource Council and Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association. He is also a supporter of the Water Hay Oats Alliance. Wade is the general manager of Northview Stallion Station in Chesapeake City, as well as Northview PA in Peach Bottom, PA. In addition, he is the manager of Sycamore Hall Farm and is a Thoroughbred sales agent. Wade was the former yearling manager at Ryehill Farm and was an adjunct faculty member at Cecil College. He has served on the MHBA board since 2016 and is a member of the association’s Sales Committee, Stallion Committee, Events Committee and Yearling Show Committee. He was also on the...

According to various news outlets, a bear killed two ponies near Clear Spring in Washington County sometime between July 7 and July 9. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources was contacted by a resident of the area on Monday (July 9) afternoon saying that two of their neighbor’s ponies had been killed by a bear near Mummert Road. Authorities were called in and according to Clarissa Harris of the Wildlife & Heritage Service, a 204-lb male bear was tracked and captured in the area. As it could not be confirmed that it was the same bear that killed the ponies, the bear was subjected to pepper spray and loud noises to discourage it from returning to the area. The bear was then tagged and released in the Indian Spring Wildlife Management Area this week. Harry Spiker, bear biologist for the Wildlife & Heritage Service, was called to the scene to confirm the kills. He believes this is an isolated event which most likely happened when the bear came across the ponies in an enclosed area. According to Spiker, bears do not typically attack horses or ponies because they mostly eat vegetation but may attack when the opportunity...

As news of a Montgomery County horse testing positive for EIA has been circulating this week, a lot of Equiery readers have been posting questions as to what the virus is, how a horse becomes infected and how they may or may not be treated. We hope we are able to answer a few of your questions here. Please note, as of this morning (July 13), the case in Montgomery County is still under investigation and no new information has been released from the Maryland Department of Agriculture. All neighboring farms have been notified by MDA and the case farm will remain in quarantine until the 60-day hold period is lifted, as long as no other horses on the farm test positive during the hold period. The horse infected was euthanized earlier this week. In addition, according to Jason Schellhardt of the MDA Public Health Office, the origin of the virus in the infected horse is under investigation. “This virus is very rare for our area and is more common along the Gulf Coast. We are currently investigating where the horse could have been infected.” Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) is a blood borne virus, typically transferred by biting flies or infected needles that effects horses, donkeys and mules. EIA is closely related to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), but is not known to effect human health. The disease is...

By Sara Gordon Photos by Barrie Reightler, MHBA The Maryland Horse Industry Foundation hosted a second successful running of the Maryland Thoroughbred Career Program, organized and guided by Maryland Horse Breeder’s Association’s Jordyn Egan. This year’s group included students from Maryland and Kentucky who spent June 4-9 experiencing the Maryland Thoroughbred racing industry and being exposed to the diverse career options available within it. The MTCP week included a day at the MHBA office learning about the association, the Maryland Million, Ltd., and the Maryland Racing Commission. Students also experienced a variety of breeding and training operations with visits...

Just in from the Maryland Department of Agriculture: A horse stabled in Montgomery County has tested positive for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA). The positive horse was discovered during a routine wellness examination by a private veterinarian and was confirmed positive July 9 by the National Veterinary Services Lab in Ames, Iowa. The infected horse will be euthanized. EIA is not known to effect human health. The State Veterinarian’s office has placed the farm under a 60-day investigational hold order. The department will do initial EIA tests on the remaining 42 equines on the farm. The animals will be tested again after 60 days, at which point the hold order will be released barring any positive test results. Equine Infectious Anemia is a blood borne virus typically transferred by biting flies or infected needles. The infected horse did not display any clinical symptoms, but was determined to be in the carrier stage of the disease. Confirmed cases of EIA typically result in euthanasia or lifetime isolation for the infected horse. The department’s Animal Health Program will continue to monitor the situation closely, and reminds all horse owners to remain vigilant in protecting the health of their animals—this includes routine disease testing. More information on EIA is available from USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection...